This is the status of our sink.
And not just today. Not just this morning. But it’s been like this all week long.
Pans on top of plates on top of brownie trays on top of utensils.
I’ve tried to make my way through it all. Bit-by-bit. So I guess it’s not the same ol’ cookware having a party in the sink. But, every time I make a little dent in the dishes, it’s time to eat again. Which means more things end up getting used and dumped in the sink.
I almost lost it earlier this week.
I wanted to curse the people that didn’t put a damn dishwasher in this apartment. Or the people that made our sink so darn small. I cursed myself for not being like my mother or sister – both people who seem to have a natural ability to clean up and make everything look all shiny and new.
I wanted to take a day off work so I could tidy up around the apartment. But I also knew that, even if I did that, I’d end up back in this situation after just a few days.
So then I just stopped mentally cursing myself (and other people). I closed my eyes and didn’t think about the clutter in our apartment. Instead, I thought about what was going right in my day.
1. I had my shake for breakfast. And actually sit down and eat (drink?) my breakfast with Ankur.
2. Ankur was able to get a lot of studying done for his exam on Monday since a few of his days were half-days this week.
3. We went to the gym before work and I was already feeling the soreness set in. Which meant I must have had a pretty good workout.
4. We ate most of our lunches at home this week. And all of our dinners.
5. I was able to blog every single day this week. And he was able to set aside time to watch Jeopardy every single day this week.
So, yes. Our apartment is a little bit of a disaster. And our sink may never be completely empty.
But, in the grand scheme of things, those things don’t matter.
A full sink just means that I have my priorities straight.
Questions of the Day:
- Is your sink full?
- Do you handwash your dishes or put them in the dishwasher?
- What are your top three priorities for the week?
Love this! You definitely have to cut yourself some slack sometimes. It sounds like you BOTH had a nice week, so that’s great.
I have a dishwasher, but I still hand wash. We tend to only use the dishwasher if it’s a really big meal – like a holiday or something. Otherwise, I don’t tend to mind doing dishes. But there are other household chores that don’t always get done.
-lauren
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I was raised to always go to bed with a clean sink but over the years even my Mom and grandmother changed and would leave something dirty. Life is so short to spend all the time cleaning (and I totally know it feels like that). We are lucky enough to have a dishwasher but the pans are typically hand washed. A great reminder! I have a busy week next week with presenting at a conference, lots of social activities and some work thrown in too. Hope it’s a great weekend.
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I always need to keep reading about making sure my priorities are in alignment with my goals. Thank you for your message.
I couldn’t agree more. I look around my messy house sometimes and get frustrated, but that just means I am doing things right and spending time with my kids now. The mess will be there later and I can deal with it then.
I refuse to base my success as a mother or wife on the status of my sink or home. I put almost everything in the dishwasher, but do rinse dirtier pieces off beforehand.
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You’re right, dishes don’t matter. We usually always have some in the sink.
It sounds like you’ve had a great week.
Oh, and we do have a dishwasher, but I mostly do dishes by hand.
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Letting go of guilt is the key to making a happy home. Right now my whole house is a wreck but I’m in a busy season of life. When things slow down I can tidy up.
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Prioritizing is so important and plus it helps us make and keep us up with our schedules love how you have shared the list with us! As we all experience the issue of time management at some time or the other.
Thanks for sharing dear!
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Great post. Keeping focus on our priorities can be challenging especially if we have a lot on our plate.
Yay for a full sink for a fuller life. Great work letting go and thank you for sharing!
Priorities define our actions, actions define our habits, habits define our life..keep them simplified:)
Yes! I relate to this so much. Our kitchen is rarely clean lately, but we’ve been saving money by eating meals at home and we’ve been spending quality time with our son, so if that means we have a slightly messy kitchen, then that is how it has to be!
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I so hear you and my sink is more full than that because we are a family of 6. I always say I swear my dishes are breeding overnight lol. As long as you keep things clean enough to be sanitary I think it’s fine.
Oh how I wish I could do this!! I’m told I have OCD, by my bf and his family, because the messes stress me out big time. It’s possible that if it weren’t for the “lazy people” in the home, it might not bother me so much to some of the messes. I do try to tell myself everyday that it isn’t a big deal but when I check my “priorities”, I know mine are in the right places, just not theirs.
Well the name Akamatra literally means “lazy in house chores “. Get my drift? I use a dishwasher but everything plastic I do by hand.
I love this. So much time is spent on the so-called “must do’s”, but I think those things actually start to get done more through cooperation when we put our heartfelt priorities first. Great message about focusing on what really matters.
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Oh yeah! My sink is a disaster sometimes its so full that they topple over and startle me in the middle of the night and I handwash those bad boys….unfortunately. This week, top of my list is to have some ‘me’ time and reconnect with myself, read a good book and just be thankful.
SO GOOD! I’m so thankful for this revelation for you!
I love this. And understand completely. There are times when the dishes just keeps piling on and you feel like you’ll never come out from underneath, but somehow, you do. And there will be days when you may have to look away and give thanks for the good which is exactly what you did and or changes our demeanorasks can make all the difference. Bravo for the happy times and smoothies and gym sessions and everyday blogging. Whether you realize it or not, you are seriously kicking butt/taking names 🙂 xoxo
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So true! Sometimes a sink full of dishes means that you’re just too busy with good things 🙂
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I agree! Sometimes things like dishes just have to wait. There’s a life to live!!
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I do not have a dishwasher. I hand wash all of my dishes and pans. So it means pizza Friday, which makes me happy.
Good for you! Life is all about priorities. Good for you for keeping your priorities in a positive light!
Messy kitchen check….dishes in sink check….yay! I got my priorities straight too😁 what a fun post to read.
Yea my room is almost never fully cleaned. I had to ask myself “Do you want a clean room or to spend time with Noah (my son)?” It is pretty obvious I would rather made slime with my son. Good for you for realizing a a little mess does not mean you are not doing anything it just means your more focused on something more important.
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I so get the dishwasher struggle. Not having one and only having a tiny sink is seriously the worst!
We have a dishwasher but we NEVER use it. I wish I could give you ours. Lol. We just handwash the dishes after each meal.
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Prioritizing is always a struggle for me! I am so Type A and feel that I always have to do EVERYthing EVERY day. My sink may be clean, but my daughter has toys everywhere. This means she has had fun today. Bonus points if I made a mess with her! These are the important things in life!
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I used to have this plaque that said ” my house was clean last week sorry you missed it”. Giggle it really is ok to be a little messy, I hate cleaning and I don’t obsess about it because what’s gonna happen if you don’t do it? nada
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Such a good perspective! Eventually the dishes will get done 🙂
Makes me very grateful that my dishwasher works and works well….I don’t have a lot dishes but know I can have clean dishes in a jiffy is a good feeling.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could everything done every single day? But no, that rarely ever happens, so YES, priorities are key!
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That is rough not having a dishwasher in the apartment. Unfortunately I know that from experience. Not only is it a ton of extra works but then there are fights about how clean dishes actually get. Its just a pain in the butt.
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Well that is a interesting way of looking at it! Maybe you should try having each person take on the responsibility of washing the dish that they use when putting it in the sink and putting water in the pans to soak so it will be easier to wash them when you get around to it. This may make it easier on you and you can have your priorities straight and a clean kitchen. Just a suggestion…
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I agree! I have a dishwasher but the so k is still sometimes full from three young boys 🙂 but if it’s full it just means I am spending more time doing what I want to do rather than what I need to do 🙂
You need to cut yourself some slack, dirty dishes are ok. I learned this and it feels good! What I do is, once in awhile I buy disposable dishes. Trust me, less of a mess!
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Love this! This is an interesting way of looking at it! having a dishwasher is good of the kitchen cause only having a tiny sink is seriously the worst!
This is the mentality that I try to have! I am not a naturally tidy person but at the same time I cannot stand mess! This means my home gets messy all the time and I stress out about it all the time! You are so right about stopping to think about the things we have done instead of worrying about the things we haven’t 🙂
Lianne | Makes, Bakes and Decor
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You’re absolutely right! It’s so easy to lose perspective sometimes. But there are so many more important things in life than a flawless kitchen.
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My sink is horribly full right now!! 😂 My priorities must be stellar! Lol
Thanks for the encouragement.
My sink is always full, but like you, I take that as a sign that my home is filled with time with my peeps. Love them more than those stinky dishes, which I NEVER handwash, btw, lol. I always tell me friends that complain about their housework, you’d sure miss those guys if you didn’t have them anymore. (even their dishes :))
Umm…. that sink is nothing lady! 😉 You should my sink on the daily. I feel your pain, every time I clean, I turn around and there are magically dishes in the sink. We even have a dishwasher… doens’t help (I do wash our pots and pans by hand anyways). 😉 Just know you aren’t alone.
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You have such a great perspective; it’s refreshing and humbling, isn’t it? Once you let go of all that, pardon my French, shit, life gets a bit easier. I used to stress all the time about a clean place and don’t get me wrong, I still do. But priorities… I love your outlook my friend. Glad you both got in some time to do what you both enjoy, and eachother. 😉
Hahaha, great post! Totally agree! I had the same problem in my previous flat and there was just one day a week when everything was actually washed up and nicely stored in the cupboard.. but at least we also got our priorities right 🙂
The dishes can hold on for some time but priorities are more important! You go gal and do whatever your priorities are!
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Everyone could learn from this post! Sometimes we need to make ourself a priority. The dishes can wait. Love this!
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Our sink is often full. I eat a lot when kids are in school lol. But, I have to hand wash our dishes as we don’t have a dishwasher.
My goals for the week are to clean the downstairs better and to try to get our younger 2 in routine some how 🙂 youngest is 4 weeks old today.
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I try to always wash dishes right after I use them, because I’d rather wash 1-2 dishes rather than a whole sink…I feel like once the sink gets more full, you want to do dishes even less!
It is hard to keep your priorities straight when you’re busy and stressed. Those priorities do change as you get older, too. Glad you were able to find the brighter side of things. By the way, I can’t stand a sink with dishes in it and neither can my husband. We do at least 3-4 loads of dishes of day!!
We have a dishwasher, which should make our lives easier (and our kitchen cleaner), but alas I have the same struggles as you. My mom is a perfect housewife, but I definitely didn’t inherit that gene. It is something that I struggle with on a daily basis, and it is very difficult, sometimes, not to feel like a failure. But your post has made me feel so much better. Thank you. I think this weekend I need to spend some time organising my priorities for this week.
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